A blog for the United States branch of the global Centre for Fortean Zoology

At the beginning of the 21st Century monsters still roam the remote, and sometimes not so remote, corners of our planet. It is our job to search for them. The Centre for Fortean Zoology [CFZ] is - we believe - the largest professional, scientific and full-time organisation in the world dedicated to cryptozoology - the study of unknown animals. Since 1992 the CFZ has carried out an unparalleled programme of research and investigation all over the world. Since 2009 we have been running the increasingly popular CFZ Blog Network, and although there has been an American branch of the CFZ for over ten years now, it is only now that it has a dedicated blog.

Thursday, 31 July 2014

Well done, SIA (Singapore Airlines). Because of the environmental issues raised by the killing of sharks, it has decided to stop shipping shark fins, which it did in large quantities. We wish that all commercial enterprises shared their sense of responsibility and their decision to put morality ahead of money.

If you are familiar with the Arabian Nights, you may remember the roc (Arabic, rukh) a gigantic bird large enough to carry off an elephant. Sinbad the Sailor, known for his seven voyages, encountered one. Sinbad must be one of the most irritating people in literature. Forever getting into the most appalling perils, he invariably escapes and makes a great profit, only to return to land and, after a time, hanker to set off again, though he has no need to do so and the reader knows all too well that further appalling perils are just waiting for him out there.But, to get back to the Roc, it is, of course, mythical, but the question arises regarding the origin of belief in it. It may go back to the mythical Indian bird Garuda, but there may also be an origin in more material form. On the island of Madagascar there was once a huge bird, unable to fly, called the Aepyornis and, more colloquially, the elephant bird. While this creature may have become extinct centuries ago, its eggs have remained and the Malagasys and the Arabs, noting their size, inferred the existence of a giant bird from them. Indeed, the Malagasys have a giant bird, the vorompatra, in their legends and they may have passed traditions of that on to the Arabs.Also a possibility is the memory of another extinct bird of Madagascar, the Malagasy crowned eagle (Stephanoaetus mahery), which was not the sort of creature you would want to run into if off meandering.The Roc, because of its appearances in the Arabian Nights, has etched itself a place in human consciousness. It is a spectacular mythical bird, but, take my word, you wouldn't want one living near you.

Monday, 28 July 2014

We're off to the wild and desolate region of Dartmoor, in the south-west of England. This area, 368 square miles in extent, is noted for its wildness. It is also famous for its prison. A strange beast has been reported from Houndtor on Dartmoor.

2009: Direct-to-video release of The Land That Time
Forgot, based on the 1924 Edgar Rice Burroughs novel of castaways meeting
prehistoric monsters and German submariners on an uncharted island in the
Bermuda Triangle.

This animal seems to have been a cryptid or creature of Mississippi. Its upper parts were supposed to look like a human's, the lower like a deer's. Its visage was scary. It gave tongue to loud screams. I surmise that, with a name like that, it was a creature of Native American lore. But I cannot find out any more about it. The website whence I took it has vanished like the snows of yesteryear. Anyone with more information is invited to pass it on.

1984: Iconic ghoul and serial killer Edward Theodore Gein,
real-life inspiration for Hollywood's Norman Bates, Leatherface and Buffalo
Bill in Silence of the Lambs, dies at a Wisconsin state hospital for the
criminally insane, 27 years after his arrest in Plainfield for murder and grave
robbing.

Chickies Rock (Pennsylvania) is supposed to have some interesting inhabitants called albawitches. These are described as humanoid and are said to keep largely to the trees. They were also supposed to be fond of apples.Rumor had it that they became extinct in the 19th Century, but they have been reported since then. They are said to be between 5' and 6' in height and, though described as sticklike, they are covered in hair.There was an alleged sighting of albawitches in 2002. However, you don't have to see them to know they are there, according to local folklore. If you hear a cracking noise in the woods, that is made by albawitches.

The island of New Guinea is heavily forested and it might contain just about anything. There are tribes there that have never seen a white man. (Is this an advantage?) The eastern portion contains the sovereign state of Papua-New Guinea. The western portion is part of Indonesia.One of the creatures rumored to be on the island is the Six-legged Snake. This has been reported from Waigeo Island, off the coast of the Indonesian section. I suspect that behind the report may lie, not an actual snake, but a somewhat serpentine lizard. Next time you visit Waigeo Island, perhaps you would have a look to see.

1851: Troops stationed at a base near San Francisco,
California, report blood and chunks of meat falling from a clear sky. The meat,
resembling beef, fell in pieces ranging from the size of "a pigeon's egg
to that of an orange." The base doctor examined samples and declared them
"slightly spoiled."

Up above you can see some Winged Monkeys from the land of Oz. But have you ever seen a winged monkey in real life? In the year 2000 at Tucapol, Chile, a Winged Ape was reported. It was about 4' in height, it had clawed hands and protruding fangs. It sounds a fearsome creature.However, wings on an ape or monkey of the type seen in The Wizard of Oz should not be able to make it fly without defying the laws of physics. Perhaps their function was to allow it to glide. From the description, though, I wonder if what was actually seen was some kind of bat.I hear someone ask, What exactly is the difference between an ape and a monkey? You have come to the right place, O Inquisitor, for I have the answer to your query. Basically, a monkey has a tail and an ape hasn't. The only recognized apes are the gorilla, orang utan, chimpanzee, gibbon and bonobo. The rock ape of Gibraltar is in fact a monkey.Once the terms were interchangeable. If you wanted to refer disparagingly to someone as a monkey, you could call him a jackanapes. In fact, you still can if you want to. I have no wish to restrict your freedom.

Monday, 21 July 2014

Robstown, Texas, has a population of 13,000. It also has a horrid legend. In Spanish, the word tacuache means an opossum. In Robstown it can also mean something else.The legend has it that at some stage a vampire-bat raped a woman. The woman as a result gave birth to this creature. It had the woman's face, but so far I have not found out what the rest of it is supposed to look like. If you know, get in touch.